https://youtu.be/k1S0xxTwueQ

Inigo had slept light the previous night, trying to reflect on everything that happened - a state that he remained in as he awakened. After meeting with Azurine and Silas at the Hole, Inigo had made it a point to keep to his own devices, thinking about his meeting with the Mikado.

As things stood now, he was sitting atop the roof of one of the surviving houses in Ruben, waiting for an update from Scarlett. It was good that she was taking this step, he thought, but her being killed was a very real risk. Not one he could do anything about, so all he could do was hope the Mikado had some mercy in her.

While waiting, he allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts, trying to brainstorm his next course of action. If what he'd heard from Silas and Azurine was correct, they were based in Modum, and that was most likely where he'd have to go in order to get Iago back. Shitload of trains, though, and so, so much walking. He was almost certain it would take an entire afternoon and a half to get there, and that was assuming they didn't get sidetracked along the way. Which, with his luck, was next to inevitable.

But he couldn't stop thinking about it, nonetheless. Whatever was happening to him - be it torture, or just simple imprisonment - it simply had to be stopped. He didn't know what it was, but felt that the uncertainty was much scarier than anything the Mikado could have actually told him. Well played, Mikado.

He remained calm, watching the people go up and down the streets, glad to see that they weren't quite as consumed by fear compared to the last time he'd seen them - a little doubt here and there, but he could tell that the town was healing. As he continued his people-watching, he was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from Scarlett; more specifically, an image with a caption, which he eyed with abject confusion.

Right before his eyes was a picture of her scar - a bright red image of a sharp-looking eye, freshly burnt onto her arm, which he was sure he would've remembered if it had been there yesterday. Right below it was a caption reading, "I did it."

He stared at the picture, surprised at what he was seeing. With what his memory told him, he was pretty sure that was her arm. But that was a fairly new wound. And if she was showing him now, then that could only mean... "The Mikado did that to you, didn't she?"

"She did." the response came quickly, and at once he grew both curious and concerned as to what on earth had gone down. She was, evidently, alive, so it could be assumed that it hadn't gone entirely poorly. But she clearly hadn't escaped unscathed, and he would've been surprised if she did.

"What is that, anyway? Some kind of brand?"

"Yeah..."

"I'm pretty sure it's meant to be a punishment."

"Like a 'mark of shame'."

"Or maybe some kind of warning to anyone else in Libera?"

A mark of shame? That sounded interesting. "Are you ashamed of this?"

"Honestly? I don't know."

"It's a reminder of my sins, but looking at it reminds me that I chose to leave that behind."

"And I think that's a good thing."

He smiled slightly upon reading that answer, humming quietly as he typed up his response. "That's good to hear."

"Still sucks that I have it, though."

"It really hurts even if I'm not touching it."

"Plus, who knows what others will think when they see this?"

"And when I look into its eye, I can see her staring at me so coldly."

"I'll have to invest in something more conservative than what I usually wear."

"Well, then, I won't tell you to 'wear your scars with pride' or anything. This is clearly a big deal for you."

"But well done."

"And if you'd like, maybe I can help you find some clothes."

"You got that scar because of me. It's only fair."

"Thank you! ( ˶' ᵕ '˶ )"

"I'm looking forward to it."

"As am I."

Indeed, the feeling was mutual. He hummed, standing up and stretching his arms. They'd naturally have to agree on a time and place to meet up, but all in all, things were looking up. Both sides had gained and lost something in this exchange, and now in due time, the game would heat up even further. Who knew what would happen? Certainly not him.

.........

https://youtu.be/lQ4gpuPP0r4

For the vast majority of Libera, the day went on as usual, but a small minority thought differently in light of the recent events. Kotoba and Creed sat down in silence, the former sipping on a mug of hot chocolate while the latter downed a bottle of water, both of them seemingly waiting for something. Something that soon came as a firm knock was heard on the door. At once, Creed jumped up from his seat, strolling over to the door and opening it, finding a dead-faced Grant on the other end, staring at him with a deadpanned "You called?"

"Yo." Creed waved, stepping aside and watching him closely, his expression somewhat serious. "Let's sit down, shall we?"

"I'd rather stand than perch myself on one of those." Grant shook his head, placing his hand on his forehead as he stepped further into the room. Kotoba's eyes watched him closely, something he noticed but didn't comment on as he stood next to the seat that Creed proceeded to return to. Kotoba, having put her cup down, tented her fingers and looked up at him.

"Galileo." she began, her expression utterly stoic. "Is anything on your mind?"

"I hope you didn't call me here just to ask that." Grant snarked, rolling his eyes. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, eh?" Creed raised an eyebrow. "You see Scarlett leave this morning?"

"...yes." Grant's eyebrow shot up further. "Is there a point to this? She's always going out, doing Spero-knows-what. Is this instance special?"

Creed closed his eyes, sighing softly. "This time, she ain't coming back."

"...is that so?" Grant asked cautiously, a frown slowly forming on his face. "You aren't sending her to her death, are you?"

"She has chosen to march there herself." Kotoba shook her head. "For she has left Libera to join the Joker."

"Pardon?"

As those words left Kotoba's lips, Grant clenched his teeth and his fist, a white flame briefly flickering in his palm before being quickly snuffed out. His eyes went wide, and his expression looked to be a cross between panic and anger. Creed, observing his reaction, raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You heard her. Worst case scenario, we're gonna have to fight her."

"And you're just accepting this?"

"Indeed. That is the way things have played out." Kotoba nodded calmly. "As I said, she has made her choice."

"Unbelievable..." Grant clenched his teeth again, facepalming and shaking his head before looking back up. "We need to get her back!"

"Hey, hol' up." Creed began, staring at Grant with a positively confused expression, crossing his arms slowly. "Do you care?"

"Yes, you mutt. Was that not obvious?" Grant scoffed, anger slightly giving way to the annoyance he usually felt when Creed was around. Creed, for his part, stared at him suspiciously, while Kotoba remained expressionless and silent, content to let this play out.

"Dude, I could've sworn you didn't even know she was related to you!" Creed exclaimed, tilting his head as he slowly, but surely, began to reciprocate some of that irritation.

"Didn't even- she is my daughter!"

"Maybe you should've acted like it when she was here!" Creed snarled, baring his fangs briefly before quickly simmering down and woefully averting his gaze. "...who knows. Maybe she'd still be here."

Grant opened his mouth to speak, but he simply fell silent as he heard Creed's words and took them in. Come to think of it, had he ever felt this strongly towards her before? She'd been present, and he was always aware of that, but outside of Libera...when did that matter? In fact, before last night, when was the last time he'd ever called her by her name?

"I know you teach geography when you're not being a criminal menace, you're a high-ranking member of Libera, and you're going all-out to avenge your wife while neglecting the reminder of her memory she left behind."

Of course. It just had to be him, didn't it? Grant hung his head low, gritting his teeth in silence as he considered what everyone was saying. She was his daughter, damn it! She wasn't just 'Mata Hari' - heck, she wasn't even that anymore. To ignore that for so long, he'd truly been a fool. But at least he knew that much, now.

He ignored Creed for now, looking directly at a seemingly quizzical Kotoba. "...so, what now?"

"With Iago captured, we will turn our focus to the Red Joker." Kotoba declared, opening a drawer on her desk and pulling out some sheets of paper with drawn and labelled maps of Erdeland on them, a route seemingly marked out on it. "He's likely to come knocking on our doorstep first. We need to be prepared, so I've listed all the potential routes he could take from Arc to Modum. Once he acts, we shall react accordingly."

"She stayed up all night drawing those out." Creed smiled slightly. "There are a few potential wild cards, though. He could be attacked by Apex, for one, and I hear that murderer you hired has some weird crush on him? Not clear on the deets, there."

"What, he's still in Erdeland?" Grant raised an eyebrow as he thought about the Ravener, frowning slightly. Now that he didn't need him, he was sure to get in the way.

"He has the ability to come whenever he desires, if your use of him is any indication." Kotoba closed her eyes. "I absolutely cannot have him killing the Joker, however. Someone will need to intervene if it ever looks like he might."

"You'll have to be careful, then. He is a crafty one." Grant mused. "But I must ask - if we cannot kill the Joker, then what is the point of impeding him like you propose?"

"C'mon, Galileo, I thought you were good at playing the long game." Creed sighed.

"Based on what we have seen so far, we can safely bet that he won't kill any of the people we send his way." Kotoba raised a finger, smiling ever so slightly. "That safety allows us time to interrogate the prisoner and prepare for the confrontation - time we may not get if he moves too quickly."

"...I suppose that makes sense. How unlike you." Grant murmured. "I take it we'll be moving as soon as possible."

"When I give the order, you move." Kotoba said. "We'll show that Joker what a Libera with no fear is capable of."

"...very well." Grant nodded, keeping all of this in mind. Just trust the process, he thought, and all of this would turn out for the better. At the very least, he might be able to talk to his daughter just one last time - even as an enemy.

.........

https://youtu.be/RofD8wT0Otg

A surprisingly peaceful day went by for all parties involved, and soon enough, the clock struck eight. For the past hour or so, Makoto had been loitering around Furvus - he was never one to be late for an appointment, after all. Standing outside Blackstar, meticulously checking his phone for the time, he leaned against the wall, clad in one of his typical white suits, but with the undershirt entirely orange, he waited until the very right time.

Right as the time had come, he was about to walk in, only to pause as he heard two frantic sets of footsteps rapidly approaching. He put his phone away, turning to face them, and saw Inigo and Scarlett heading his way. While Inigo was dressed as normal, Makoto noticed, with a purple, hooded coat and the scarf he always wore over some black pants, but Scarlett seemed ever so slightly different. Like usual, her clothing was somewhat flashy, showing off her body, but something was off. And he couldn't put his finger on it until he closely examined her entire outfit. Black leggings...pink strappy sandals...some red/pink jewellery on her wrist and neck...a fashionable, red, long-sleeved crop top hanging off one shoulder...wait, that was it.

He couldn't see either of her arms. That seemed out of character. She usually seemed to wear them bare. So what prompted the change? She wielded fire, so he knew it couldn't be the changing seasons. A simple desire to try out a new fashion statement? Maybe she had suffered some sort of trauma over the past day, making her ashamed to show her arms to anyone except those she trusted most?

No, that was ridiculous, and he wondered why his mind went there. As he watched them approach, they stopped in front of him, hands on their knees and catching their breath before Inigo looked up at him, eyes completely devoid of passion or emotion. "What time is it?" he panted, the intensity in his voice almost scaring Makoto. On reflex, he summoned his spear, leaving it out for half a second before reminding himself that Inigo was not his enemy anymore.

"My apologies! It should be eight o'clock." Makoto replied, taking a deep breath. Hearing that, Scarlett looked down at her companion with a smile.

"Hear that? We made it on time!" she exclaimed happily, to which he nodded. Makoto watched the two, placing a hand on his hip and tilting his head curiously.

"Why the rush?"

"Can we not do this while standing around?" Inigo asked. "If we're even a minute late, Azurine's gonna give us an earful."

"She is pretty strict." Scarlett added, speaking from experience as she and Inigo began to make their way to the door, with Makoto in tow. "As you can probably tell, though, Inigo and I were caught up doing some stuff."

"May I...um...ask what kind of stuff?" Makoto asked as they entered, Inigo taking the lead as they began to approach the usual booth.

"Oh, not much!" Scarlett exclaimed. "We were just in Rubesco Lane, doing a bit of shopping here and there, and we may have lost track of time just a little."

"Thankfully, Arc is within sprinting distance, apparently." Inigo added casually, and Makoto took in all they were saying.

"...right. So you were on a date, basically?"

"W-What? No, don't be ridiculous!" Scarlett stammered slightly, shaking her head rapidly. "He just owed me a favour, is all!"

"I guess you could call it that." Inigo shrugged in tentative yet otherwise nonchalant agreement, now standing in front of Silas and Azurine's booth as he looked down at the two, raising an eyebrow. He'd heard them going at it ever since he'd entered the room, but to think they were actually bickering over something. And now that he was listening more closely...

"No, you asshole! You're not thinking straight!"

"Hey, hey, calm down! I'm just saying - piece of meat, inside a piece of bread. How is that not a sandwich?"

"It's only inside a single piece of bread! Sandwiches require two separate slices! Would you slice a hotdog bun?"

"All hotdog buns are sliced!"

"Shut up!"

...he could see how inane it was. Choosing not to dignify this stupid debate by letting it finish, he glanced at the puzzled faces of Scarlett and Makoto before clearing his throat loudly, hoping to get their attention.

"Azurine, you're getting too heated! It's just hotdogs!"

"WRONG hotdogs!"

"Both of you, shut the fuck up." Inigo interrupted, and at once, Silas stopped talking, looking up and seeing him staring tiredly at him. Azurine followed suit, flashing him one of her signature doll-like smiles, which soured slightly as she saw the company he'd brought. Inigo didn't waste any time in looking at the clock on the wall before turning his attention back to Azurine. "So can I say you're late, now?"

"You're already on thin ice, bringing Libera right over here." Azurine grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms. It was then that Silas turned his attention towards the other two, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"Hey...ain't that the guy who tried to kill you?" he asked, tilting his head.

Inigo, taking his seat next to Silas, said a simple "He got better." while beckoning the other two to sit down as well. Scarlett quickly moved to sit next to Inigo, snuggling right up to him, but before sitting down, Makoto took a bow in front of the table, closing his eyes.

"I know our interactions haven't been the most civil so far - if you'll accept such a flagrant understatement." he began, while Silas and Azurine looked up at him. "But know this - there is no overstating my remorse for all I have done to you and yours. I sincerely apologise to you both, from the bottom of my heart."

Azurine stared at him for a little, as if trying to detect deceit behind his words. She couldn't find it, though, so she remained focused. "Well, if Inigo's fine with you...then so are we."

"Yeah. Apology accepted, Makoto." Silas smiled. "That goes for you, too, Scarlett! Uh, you are sorry, right?"

"Yeah. I actually left those guys behind this morning." Scarlett replied, smiling sweetly. "So now I get to help you take them down with only half the usual amount of fear!"

Inigo gave a slow clap while Makoto, after requesting permission, sat down next to Azurine. Once she had dealt with Makoto, she immediately turned her gaze to Scarlett, giving a mildly mean glare. "How can I trust you?"

"Simple! Let my deeds speak for themselves." Scarlett smiled, reaching into her purse and pulling out a folded sheet of paper, handing it to Azurine who unfolded it and began reading from it. "I thought I might be asked about this, so I brought a résumé. And I have a reference, too, if you're still not convinced."

As Azurine furrowed her brow, staring at the paper incredulously, Scarlett looked at Inigo with a smile, who nodded slowly. "It's true. I was there."

"...if all this is true..." the diminutive woman mumbled under her breath, eyes narrow as though she was still contemplating whether or not to trust this - to think she was one of the 'Heroes of Caerulus' all along. Putting the paper down, she gave Scarlett a completely blank look. "Fine. I'll give you a chance for now."

"...Should I have brought a résumé?" Makoto frowned slightly, knowing good and well that he didn't have one. Silas shook his head, relieving him somewhat.

"Nah, it's fine. It's more of a trust thing, and I think she's fine with you." he replied, smiling slightly.

"I see. That is good to know."

"So, now that we're done with the roll call, let's get down to business." Inigo said, leaning forward in his seat with his elbow on the table. "We need to arrange when we're leaving. As soon as possible, presumably."

"I take it, then, that you're going to Modum?" Makoto asked politely, earning a nod from Inigo. "That should take a while..."

"We'll be there by sundown if all goes well." Inigo hummed, closing his eyes and pressing a few fingers to his forehead. "And therein lies the problem."

"Yeah...the Mikado's not likely to just sit back and watch as you approach her base." Scarlett frowned slightly. "Not to mention, she has guys planted everywhere."

"And that's not getting into any other potential stalkers or arch-rivals we may or may not have." Silas said, mostly in jest, though he didn't catch Makoto shuddering as he mentioned that.

"Right! Like that serial killer!" Azurine added, causing Inigo to raise an eyebrow.

"Spree killer." he said. "Which is precisely why we need to be quick."

"Well, he does seem to want a rematch with you." Silas pointed out. "Which means there's a chance that he might follow you instead of going on a killing spree behind your back!"

"How reassuring." Inigo said sarcastically, closing his eyes once again as he considered this. Was it a worthwhile gamble to take? The Ravener was a very unpredictable man, from what little he knew about him. He contemplated whether or not to stay back before shaking his head. "I suppose we may not have to worry about him, then. We can take him."

The extent to which he actually believed this was uncertain, but that was the thing - nothing was certain. He couldn't account for the Ravener, so he just had to hope - most likely in vain - that the murderer would behave himself. "In the meantime, we should decide on a meeting place and time. I suggest Pingo Station, no later than eight."

"Eight, huh? I guess that'll give me time to get everything sorted out." Silas hummed. "Let my mom know what's going on, you know?"

"That time should work for me, too." Azurine nodded, and Makoto gave an affirming nod.

"I'll be there on time - early, even." he said, pressing his hand to his chest. "I swear on my honour."

"So, are we all in agreement, then?" Scarlett asked, earning a nod from the others.

"Yeah." Inigo replied, leaning back. "From there, we'll take the first train to Aurum, and after that..."

At that, the group made sure to hash out every detail of the route ahead, knowing good and well that their plan may be disrupted at any step - even the first, if they were not careful. But that didn't matter to them at the moment. They simply had to win this game, so there was no time to worry. Each of them, a piece on the board, a colour on the canvas, determined to play their part and navigate this deep, dark ocean of confusion together.

.........

Cold. Black, hard and cold were the stones that constituted his prison cell. Dark, dry and lonely, with no company whatsoever. Someone of his gregarious nature was bound to find the isolation torturous, and it worked like a charm - even before she came along with her questions and her blades, he felt like he was in the lowest pit of Hell.

And yet, he couldn't help but smile. Laugh, even. For he had the utmost faith that one day, his knight would come. And he would have the last laugh. He was out of the game for now - he had lost the battle, but the war had only just begun. He could feel it in his bones, and by Luctus, it was glory in excelsis.